Selene took the second watch of the night and sat watching the sunrise as Meelara stirred behind her.
“I don’t know why, but after advancing to Stage 2, I feel much better. As if I’m freed of some burden,” Selene pondered. “Is it a side effect of advancing, or something deeper? Is my Path affecting me?”
Meelara yawned behind her and stood before walking over.
“Let’s get some food,” she said as she brought out some packed, dried rations. “Fill up, and let’s go.”
They ate quickly, before breaking camp and setting off. Meelara led the way along the coastline, and Selene kept her Spirit Echoes active.
Just over an hour after they started walking, they encountered their first target.
A large fish-like creature with four stumpy legs had walked out of the water and was eating what looked like a six-legged goat. Meelara looked at Selene and gestured with her head. Selene nodded, closed her eyes and took a breath.
Her eyes opened, and she dashed forward, drawing her sword and coating it in shadows. The shadows turned grey and started flickering like a flame as a dark fog emanated from her body, obscuring her surroundings. Selene relied on Spirit Echoes and the feedback received from her improved Chill of the Grave to locate the monster and stab forward.
Her sword dug into the creature, and she twisted the sword, enlarging the wound. She then reached forward and used Drain Life.
Her hand was enveloped in a purple glow, and as she made contact with the wet skin of the creature, she felt a surge of energy enter her body. The creature’s skin turned grey, and dry around her hand, as it gave a gurgling cry.
It ignored the sword in its side and rolled away from Selene in a panic, but she activated Frostshade Form and dashed through it. As she arrived on the other side, she turned and swiped her blade upwards, cutting a deep groove into its flesh. A trickle of energy entered her from the draining effects of Shadow Strike, and she saw the effects of Frostshade Form.
The skin where she’d passed through had frozen, and as her sword cut a wound into it, she saw the flesh within had crystallized.
Without giving it a chance to recover, she stabbed into the beast’s head, ending its struggle.
After the monster slumped, Selene tried to activate Channel Spectre, but nothing happened. Frowning, Selene tried to figure out why.
“There was nothing. No response or feedback at all. I can’t use it on monsters? Actually, what is a spectre?”
“What is a spectre?” she asked Meelara. She looked at her teacher and saw the wide smile on her face. “What?”
“Well done, girl,” Meelara praised. “That was very good. The beast barely had time to react.”
“Yeah,” Selene nodded and smiled slightly. “I figured I’d try to finish quickly.”
“Good idea,” Meelara smirked. “Right, spectre. I haven’t faced any, but from what I’ve heard; they’re humanoid, so a monster like this one wouldn’t turn into one.”
“Oh,” Selene frowned. “So, I can’t test this skill right now.”
“There’ll be opportunities in the future, I’m sure,” Meelara said as she approached. “Now, draw the credits, and let’s move on.”
Selene nodded, reached her hand down, and focused. She extended a bubble of Spirituality, with some difficulty, before drawing it back in.
“204 credits,” she muttered.
“Not bad,” Meelara nodded before she bent down with a knife, and started cutting. “Amphibians are useful creatures. If we can find an intact organ, we have people who can use them to create items that allow for water breathing, or improving swimming speed and such.”
“Really?” Selene’s eyebrows rose. “That’s possible?”
“Yeah,” Meelara snickered. “It’s how most magical items are created. We use monster parts, or various ores or minerals that have been infused with Spirituality, and create equipment. Monsters are more powerful than us at their base, but we can create equipment to make up the difference. One of the most important skills we can learn is to identify the strength of a monster, so we can avoid it if necessary. Any monsters that are of equal advancement to you, will be stronger. Keep that in mind.”
As she spoke, she finished cutting out an organ and stuffed it into a pouch.
“Let’s go,” Meelara said and started walking.
They walked on and fought several similar creatures. Having already fought one, Selene quickly beat them, using similar methods. She drew the credits, and Meelara harvested the organs.
After a few hours, they’d sat down on a large boulder to eat.
“Why are the monsters so individual?” Selene asked, between mouthfuls. “I mean, why don’t they move in groups? We can travel for an hour between anything worth fighting.”
“Because we’ve only encountered solitary monsters,” Meelara explained. “There are plenty of creatures that travel in packs or flocks. Remember those lizards?”
“Oh, right,” Selene nodded. “Yeah…”
“This area usually has only solitary monsters, at least among the stronger ones,” Meelara continued. “I think it’s because there aren’t that many creatures or sources of food for monsters, so there’s a lot of competition. There’s not enough to support a larger group, so they have to fight and compete for everything they can get.”
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“I see,” Selene leaned back on her elbows after she finished her food. “That makes sense, I guess.”
“In any case, this area is filled with fairly weak, and low-value monsters, which is why we’ve used it as a base outside of Vision,” Meelara explained. “It’s not worth the attention of the larger factions. I suspect, based on the attempt on your life, that they’re turning their gaze this way. We might have to escape again.”
“Yeah,” Selene said before frowning. “By the way… When I ascended I received a quest.”
“What quest?” Meelara asked, looking at Selene.
“Escape,” Selene explained. “That’s all. It hasn’t been completed yet. I’d completely forgotten.”
“Hm,” Meelara frowned. “It might just be that you’re not out of harm's way yet. Maybe you’re being tracked… We’ll talk to Beren once we get back.”
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They spent the rest of the day walking and fighting, and set up camp sometime after sunset. Meelara took the first watch, and Selene took the time to check on her Inner Space.
The bridge looked the same, except the grey flames in the braziers had grown larger. The gates stood silently at the end of the bridge, still closed as the fog swirled around Selene.
She walked up to the gates and reached out a hand. The surface was cold and smooth. A second after she made contact with it, there was a deep rumble that shook the bridge, but it didn’t crack or show any signs of weakness.
“Perhaps it’d be harder to reinforce the foundations now?”
She pondered as the rumbling faded and the gates started grinding open. On the other side, Selene saw a dense fog that looked different to the one around her. It was pure white, and as it flowed out of the gates she felt the invasive cold dig into her. She flinched backwards but stopped as she realized that four more lights suddenly appeared around her, joining her other skills.
She reached out to them, identified what light represented what skill, and pulled Draugr Resilience to her. As she held it in her hand, her skin turned grey, and the cold became pleasant, invigorating. With a smile, she walked through the gates.
Beyond, she a white fog with swirling shadows. It was impenetrable.
“The boundary of my potential. If I want to see and move further, I need to fight more.”
Beneath her feet were dark grey bricks, and to her left and right were walls. The walls were broken up by empty spaces, like doorways without a door, and an emptiness filled the void. As Selene approached she felt a deep sense of wrongness and danger.
“I don’t think I should pass through… Should I try to create a door? Is that how I progress from here?”
Having learned a little from before, she chose not to experiment yet.
“I’ll ask Meelara first. It might be individual, but maybe she has some clues.”
There was nothing else of interest. It seemed to be a corridor with a tall ceiling.
“It’s strange though, to go from a bridge and a huge gate to this corridor. It feels like I’ve missed something.”
She walked back through the gates and looked around. It looked the same, except when she looked up.
The corridor’s ceiling wasn’t as high as the gates. There was the opening, which was the corridor, but then there was a tall, empty wall that reached up to the top of the gates.
“That looks really weird… Will the corridor disappear once I progress? This does not look right. It’s like two different parts have been slapped together.”
She spent some time moving around, trying to see things from different perspectives, but received no new clues, so she decided to wait. She left the Inner Space and returned to the real world.
Meelara sat by the fire, keeping watch as she munched on some rations. Selene decided not to bother her and lay down to sleep.
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“Hmm,” Meelara hummed as she frowned. “I don’t know, Selene. It’s highly individual, how the Inner Space works, and I don’t know enough. Usually, you never hear about how it works for others unless it’s a master and disciple relationship with similar Paths. I think you’re just going to have to experiment.”
Selene had explained the new section of her Inner Space, hoping for some clues.
“Right,” Selene frowned before sighing. “I’ll figure it out.”
“I know you will,” Meelara smiled.
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The sun was setting, covering the landscape with colour. Ellard’s Cove lay by the coast ahead as Selene and Meelara walked toward it.
They’d been out for three days, fighting and training.
“I’ve gotten a good grip on all the skills, except Channel Spectre. It still refuses to activate. I think Meelara’s right, and I can’t use it on a non-humanoid.”
They walked through the shanty town, and Selene frowned as she recalled the quality of life in such a place. She sighed and shook her head.
They passed through the town and entered the bar and to their room. They fell asleep quickly.
In the morning, as Selene was getting ready, Meelara approached her.
“Any news?” she asked. “About your Inner Space, I mean. Any progress?”
“No,” Selene shook her head as she placed the fedora on her head and adjusted it. “I haven’t done anything yet. The only difference is the gradual movement of the fog, revealing a few more doorways. I’ll try something soon, but for now, I want to focus on my skills. If I can identify the best ones to use, I think it’ll make it easier to progress.”
“Right,” Meelara nodded. “Makes sense. The skills used to infuse into the progression are usually indicative of your next Stage, and further progress.”
“I figured as much,” Selene smiled. “Shadow Strike and Chill of the Grave. Frost and Shadow. Spirit Echoes might have led to Channel Spectre. What I choose here could pave the way forward.”
“That’s right,” Meelara rubbed her neck. “Alright. We should report to Beren. He should be in the meeting room.”
“Let’s go,” Selene smiled and left the room.
They walked down the stairs, across the bar floor, and into the room where they saw Beren, Faren, Cheela, and Percive.
“That’s the first time I see Percive since I arrived, isn’t it?” Selene thought as she looked at the man.
“Ah,” Beren spoke up when he looked at them. “You’re back. How did it go?”
“Yes, we’re back,” Meelara nodded as she approached the table. “We’ve been testing out Selene’s skills for a few days now, and it’s quite impressive. She’s got great mobility, and damage output, along with a decent defensive skill. There’s also a potential for temporary allies, but it seems to be limited, as we haven’t been able to test it. We might need humanoid enemies.”
“Enemies?” Beren frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Ehh,” Meelara grimaced and glanced at Selene before she turned back to Beren. “Her Path is Death-aligned.”
“I’ve got a skill called Channel Spectre,” Selene added. “As far as we can tell, it requires a humanoid.”
“Death?” Beren’s eyes widened. “We need to leave. Cheela, Faren, prepare a ship. Percive keep an eye on our surroundings, investigate any recent arrivals.”
“What’s going on?” Meelara asked as the others set into motion.
“Disciples of Life,” Beren explained as he rose, and started gathering the various papers on the table. “Disciples of Life have been spotted in the area. It makes more sense now. They’re hunting her.”